One of the
best things about living in the world's most multicultural city is all the delicious
and diverse food options. No matter what type of cuisine you're in the mood for, you can find it here in Toronto. Apps such as Yelp and Zomato make the hunt for Indian or Mexican a bit easier by allowing users to read honest reviews of the restaurant, browse through pictures, and check out star ratings. For me, I'm a fan of reasonably priced restaurants that serve a satisfying portion size because nothing bugs me more than a $22 'entree' that is the size of my palm.

One place
that doesn’t skimp on portion size, ingredients or authenticity is Arepa Café located
at 490 Queen Street W. This incredibly welcoming restaurant prizes itself in
being Toronto’s first Urban Arepera.Now
before I continue, I guess I should fill you in as to what an arepa is.An arepa is a handcrafted cornmeal sandwich originating from South America, specifically Venezuela and Columbia.The arepa is known as the ‘queen dish’ among street food and you can often find them being sold at any time of
the day, even at 2 am when you’re stumbling out from a local bar.

Tequenos - Cheese Pastry Rolls

Arepa Café was
introduced to Toronto in 2009, bringing the traditional arepa of Venezuela to
our diverse city.Some of the areaps at
the café are exactly what you might find in Venezuela but they’ve also created
options more modern to Canadian tastes.Chef
Rafael Badell of Arepa Café has been cooking in the kitchen since 2016,
creating mouth-watering arepa's that showcase the true flavours of South
America. With filling such as black beans, plantain, shredded flank steak,
avocado, queso fresco, and more, you’re bound to find an arepa suited to
exactly what you’re in the mood for.Wash it all down with a pint of craft beer, wine, cocktail, fresh fruit
juices, or sugarcane lemonade.

To me, the arepa is an ideal option for lunch or dinner.It’s filling, gluten-free,
customizable and damn tasty!!I absolutely
love the crisp texture of the bread which uses traditional cornmeal called Pan.It is made into a
dough, stretched into a round disc and then roasted on the griddle.The arepa is then stuffed with a variety of different
ingredients, leaving you with a huge messy sandwich that ends up all over your
face and hands, but the mess is worth it.

La Pelua - Shredded Flank Steak & Cheddar Cheese

If your
stomach can handle more food after demolishing an arepa, then be sure to feast
on one of the South American desserts.I
had no room for food after my meal, but I couldn’t leave without trying their
homemade alfajors.These almond cookies
filled with dulce du leche are irresistible and you’ll have no troubles fitting in this sweet ending.Next time I plan to try the Tres Leche Cake which is a sponge cake made with evaporated,
condensed and whole milks.

If you stop by Arepa Cafe be sure to post your meal on social media and tag the cafe at @arepacafe !

I’ve been
attending Recipe for Change for the past 4 years now and it’s definitely one of
the best foodie fundraisers in the city.The cause is very worthwhile, as funds raised at this event go towardsFoodShare’sfood literacy programs in schools and the community.

The event brought together over 30 chefs,
brewers and vintners from the city who served up delicious bites and beverages to guests in attendance. This event always conjures up an incredible culinary line-up with notable favourites such as Pai Northern Thai Kitchen, Joe Bird, The Tempered Room and much more. If you missed out on Recipe for
Change this year, be sure to stay tuned for 2019 event details by following FoodShare on social media.

Dixonlicious
2018 - March 1, 2018

Another
terrific fundraising event in the city is the annual Dixonlicious held at
Daniel’s Spectrum in Toronto.All proceeds from Dixonlicious support Dixon Hall’s food programs such as Meals on Wheels, food for after-school initiatives
for children and youth in Regent Park, meals and snacks for March break and
summer camps, meals and snacks in our homeless shelters, and weekly community
meals for different community groups including people facing food security
challenges and those living with HIV/AIDs.

The event
featured some of the best restaurants and beverages in the city,a live and silent auction, music from Matt Morgan, Dixon Hall Music School performances and much more!

I really love
this event because I feel that guests get a real glimpse into what Dixon Hall
is all about.This year the host of the evening,
Farah Nasser, from Global News welcomed guests and talked a bit about the
important work that Dixon Hall does and ways that people can donate and
contribute to the their programs.There
were also two fantastic live performances by students who are part of the Dixon
Hall Music Program as well as a heart-warming talk given by a senior who uses
the Meals on Wheels food program.I
think having these prominent aspects really made this event one to remember and it feels good to know what your contributions are going towards. The event raised over $80,000
which will help to provide 20,000 meals to Dixon Hall’s clients across various
programs.

Stay
connected with Dixon Hall on social media for their latest information and
updates and don’t miss out on Dixonlicious 2019!

Sustainable
Dim Sum - March 6, 2018

I am so glad that Sustainable Dim Sum returned for a second year.This event is always a lot of fun and stands apart from other food
events in the city.A few of the reasons
that make this event unique is that all of the chefsuse fresh, local and sustainable ingredients
from environmentally conscious partners. Also the venue is Rotunda Hall at City Hall so it feels kind of exhilarating drinking in a building where important
decisions are being made, ha. The event featured a wide variety of dim sum items prepared by restaurants and catering companies in the city. There were also some great
beverage partners at this event pouring all sorts of delicious craft beers,
wine, cider and spirits. As always, Drink Inc. Events knows how to organize an event and the night ran as smooth as ever with plenty of delicious bites for all.

It’s that time of year where the days become
brighter, the chill in the air subsides and the smell of freshness permeates
the air. Spring is approaching and there is no better way to celebrate this
budding season than by discovering an abundance of eco-friendly products at the
12th annual Green Living Show.

The Green Living Show is Canada’s largest event dedicated to healthy and sustainable
living.Over the course of the three-day
event, guests will have the chance to shop at over 350 eco-conscious exhibitors
booths, test the latest electric vehicles on the market, learn about recent
health and wellness trends, listen to speakers, and indulge in a variety of
locally sourced dishes and drinks.

If you’re
into finding new green products then this is a MUST attend show. There are so many innovate products that I wish I had known about earlier; but it is never too late to hop on the
eco-friendly band wagon and start to add more natural products into your life.
The amount of toxins in the products we use on a daily basis is alarming, not
to mention the materials being used to make these products are incredibly
harmful to the earth. People tend to
think that there are no alternatives but there certainly are, you can discover
them all at The Green Living Show!

I had a
chance to attend a media preview of The Green Living Show at Propeller Coffee where I got
acquainted with some of the very delicious food and drink vendors that will be
at the show as well as discover some of the trending products. Here are a few of my favourite items to look
out for at the show this year:

Gardening fanatics will truly love this all-natural product that will make your plants happy and healthy! Jocelyn's Soil Booster is a natural biofertilzer for indoor and outdoor plants. This worm manure will nourish your garden and you can feel good about using a product that is 100% made from Toronto's food waste.

Welcome to Seedlip, the world's first distilled non-alcoholic spirits. These spirits come in two different flavours, Garden & Spice, and both are made from carefully sourced herbs, spices, peels and barks. It's a genius idea that is being served at some of the worlds finest cocktail bars, restaurants and hotels so that non-drinkers can enjoy something tasteful. I tried the Spice flavour which is a complex blend of aromatic Jamaican all spice berry and cardamom distillates with two barks and a bright citrus peel finish. The spirit was mixed with soda water and citrus peel and it was one of the most refreshing drinks I've had. I loved the spicy notes and would most definitely order this at a bar on one of those non-drinking nights.

Mukta Being is a Canadian-owned and operated company committed to creating eco-friendly products to inspire a more healthy, expansive and liberated life. They design and manufacture premium cork yoga mats, blocks and wellness products made for every body type.

Modgarden is such a fun and innovate product that allows you to have a mini micro farm in the comfort of your own home. You can plant leafy greens, herbs, and micro-greens which can be harvested daily to create a nutrient-packed meal for you and your family. The affordable smart modular growing system provides insight from seed-to-fork so you know exactly what your family is eating from the organic soil to heirloom seeds and straight to your fork.